CHARLESTON – A nearly $12 million agreement has been reached to settle seven civil lawsuits regarding abuse of special needs students at a Kanawha County elementary school.
The state Board of Risk and Insurance Management settled the cases for a combined total of $11,750,000. Information about the individual case settlements is sealed.
Attorney Ben Salango, who represented some of the plaintiffs and families, said it is the largest settlement in state history against a county school board.
Salango
The seven lawsuits were filed against the Kanawha County Board of Education and Nancy Boggs, who was captured on video slapping a special needs student in the face, another in the shoulder, pulling one student’s hair and hitting another with a cabinet door.
She pleaded guilty to 10 counts of misdemeanor battery and is serving one year for each. The cases sparked lawmakers to modify relevant state laws. For example, teachers abusing students is now a felony, and cameras in classrooms now must be reviewed every 90 days for no less than 15 minutes. In 2019, the state Legislature passed a law requiring cameras in self-contained special needs classrooms.
“Our Legislature has done a remarkable job over the last few years, strengthening laws to protect special needs children. West Virginia is one of only a handful of states that mandates cameras in self-contained special needs classrooms,” Salango told The West Virginia Record. “It’s important for other states to follow West Virginia’s example and take affirmative steps to protect these vulnerable children.”